"This… shouldn't be happening."
Adonis currently sat on his bed, his room surrounding him like one massive cage that tied him down.
His eyes appeared vacant as they fixatedly stared at the ground, and his head hung low atop his shoulder.
Despite his usual muscular figure, Adonis looked strangely small in the confines of his room.
"So much has changed. I can't keep up any longer." He sighed, punching his forehead with his hand.
Adonis could not properly describe what he was feeling at the moment.
He had tried his best to ensure his second chance at life wasn't wasted.
He made sure his classmates were a coherent team, and he ensured they started training early and took it very seriously.
He practiced hard—working his butt off even when everyone was resting.
All of it was so he could get even the tiniest bit stronger than he was in the past.
And yet…
'When it came down to it, I failed.'
The Hero exists for one sole reason; and that is to save people from danger.
Adonis felt like a failure for being unable to perform his sole responsibility.
He was a Regressor who knew the future, yet somehow everything that was happening seemed to catch him off-guard.
It was a mortifying thing for him.
'And now, look at everything.'
The classmates he tried so hard to hold together had fallen apart. The duo of Alicia and Billy that he implicitly encouraged due to how they were in his past life—especially after the kidnapping—turned out to be a hoax.
He was the only one among their classmates who knew what had happened thanks to practically being an integral part of the Royal Council at this point.
As such, Alicia and Billy had to tell him—alongside Vida and Conrad—what happened to them.
'Alicia seems to trust me a little now. She didn't hesitate to talk to me. I suppose she knows I won't tell anyone and cause more social dysfunction.'
The result of all that drama was Adonis finding out the truth about what happened—both in this life and likely in the past too.
'I never expected Billy to be the culprit behind everything. I… I just…'
It revealed Billy to be a twisted soul in the past, forever altering the perception Adonis had of him.
Despite all of that, though…
'We still need him!'
That was the major issue that prevented the boy from being properly punished or even expelled from the Royal Estate.
Other than the fact that he seemed to genuinely regret his deeds, he was also a vital member of their team.
'His punishment is still in deliberation, but it'll probably be stuff associated with limiting his freedom, not compensating him the way we are compensated, and even tougher training.'
That was all they could afford to do.
'It's all my fault. If I had been more attentive in my past life… and if I did more to investigate… then maybe all of this wouldn't have happened.'
Deep down, Adonis knew he was just beating himself up for no good reason.
He didn't know he was going to regress back then, so there was no way he could have been 'more attentive.'
Besides, he was just as lost and confused as everyone when they were first summoned.
How could he have been collected enough to take in all the fine details of the world around him and all the events that occurred in it?
It wasn't possible.
Also, even in this life, he couldn't have investigated every single person in great detail.
He had to focus on training so he could get stronger.
Sure, he tried to be friends with as many people as possible in order to understand them better, but he was mostly working with the information he had in his past life.
There was just so much on his plate.
Adonis knew within himself that he had done his best, but he couldn't help but feel more inadequate.
… Especially when he looked at Ralyks.
"Who… is that man?"
There was no person called Ralyks in his past life.
If there was, perhaps the Dragons wouldn't have completely laid waste to the United Human Alliance and destroyed everything.
—And everyone.
'His strength is so absurd and unreal. I've never seen anyone possess such a variation of abilities and specialties.'
The only way this was possible was Enchanted Items.
'But even those can only go so far. We currently have a scarcity of Monster Cores and Mana Crystals that can replicate such amazing effects.'
Even the Black Market wouldn't have Items that would give someone such power.
If they did, he would have already tried to obtain the items for him and his friends.
'If I assume they're all his abilities, then how is he so strong? And how come I never saw him in my past life?'
The only conclusion Adonis could arrive at was that Ralyks was like him—an Otherworlder.
'Did another Nation summon an Otherworlder? But that isn't possible.'
They didn't have access to the Magic Formula for the Summoning Circle, as well as the Spell required for Interdimensional Magic.
'And such Magic can only be done once every decade or so, to allow the space-time fabric of this world to stabilize after being punctured by otherworldly energy.'
In essence, no other Otherworlder could exist in this world except him and his classmates.
'So what could he be? Maybe he belongs to a naturally powerful race?'
Elves were loved by Mana, and Fairies were Children of the World.
However, he didn't really fit those description; as true Elves would not interact with Humans, and he was too tall to be a Fairy.
Ralyks also didn't have pointy ears or an Elven Accent.
Sure, it was possible that the Dark Adventurer was in disguise, but Adonis found that to be highly unlikely.
'The Elves should currently be facing the Dragons in their own Continent. I doubt they would have a champion like Ralyks, and he wouldn't help them out first.'
None of what was happening made any sense to Adonis.
He was currently running blind, and for a Regressor like him, it was humiliating.
'I don't care what happens to me, though. As long as this world can be saved… how I feel doesn't matter.'
Adonis had already purposed within himself that he would put the safety of this world before any of his own needs.
Even his decision to integrate himself with the Royal Council, despite disliking politics, was for the very reason of helping his classmates and after the United Human Alliance in the right direction.
'I already suspected Knox and those two bastards, and I was actively investigating them.'
It was a shame that they had to die so prematurely, depriving the Alliance of any information that they had.
'Conrad and Vida will handle the situation of the Criminal Underworld, though. It's best I focus on what I can do for now…'
Adonis slowly raised his head and rose to his feet.
There was only one place that called for him now, and he prepared his body to go.
'I have to get stronger!'
He despised how inadequate he felt—how powerless he was when it counted the most.
Plus, with his Stats now lower than before thanks to using [Limit Transcension], he had to work extra hard.
But, Adonis was ready to do all of that.
'If it means saving this world… I will do anything!'
That was why he was the Hero.